Saturday, January 28, 2012

1956 Ford Thunderbird 1:24 Danbury Mint


 








The first generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a two-seat convertible produced by Ford for the 1955 to 1957 model year, the first 2-seat Ford since 1938. It was developed in response to the 1953 Motorama display at the New York Auto Show, which showed the Chevrolet Corvette. The Corvette in turn was developed in response to the popularity of European sports cars among Americans.

Dubbed a "a personal car of distinction" by Ford, this appellation was also used by the motoring press at the time. The car built upon the heritage of the bespoke roadsters of the 1930s, yet was constructed largely of existing components, marking the first step toward the evolution of the personal luxury car as a mass market segment in the United States. While light weight for its era and fitted with a standard V8 engine, the Thunderbird focused more on driver comfort than speed, and was not a direct rival to either the Corvette or European sports cars. The Thunderbird proved more suited to the American market than the Corvette, with sales of 16,155, versus 674 Corvettes in 1955. This remained the only two-seat convertible Thunderbird until the eleventh-generation was unveiled in 2002.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Hot Wheels 1:64









From Fandom:
 The '08 Dodge Challenger SRT8 is a Hot Wheels casting based on the production car of the same name, debuting in the 2008 New Models.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

2005 Chrysler 300C HEMI Maisto 1:18












The top-of-the-line 300C version uses a 5.7 L (345 cu in) Hemi V8. Using the Multidisplacement System (MDS), this engine can run on four cylinders when less power is needed in order to reduce total fuel consumption. The USEPA-rated fuel consumption of the 300C is: 15 miles per US gallon (16 L/100 km; 18 mpg‑imp) city, and 23 miles per US gallon (10 L/100 km; 28 mpg‑imp) highway. When all eight cylinders are needed, the 300C can produce 340 hp (254 kW) and 390 lb⋅ft (529 N⋅m) of torque. It uses a five-speed automatic transmission and comes standard with 18-inch chrome-clad alloy wheels, Chrysler's MyGIG Infotainment System in 2008 and SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Backseat Television in 2008. The HEMI cylinder heads necessitate the use of a double rocker arm shaft configuration, with a cam-in-block, overhead valve (OHV) pushrod design. There are two spark plugs per cylinder to promote efficient fuel/air mixture burn and thereby reduce emissions. In 2009–2010 power output was increased to 360 hp (268 kW; 365 PS).
 

Saturday, January 7, 2012

2001 Mini Cooper Hot Wheels 1:64








From Fandom:
 This is an accurate reproduction of BMW's "New Mini"; the first major redesign of the classic British microcar since its debut as the "Morris Mini-Minor" and "Austin 7" in 1959. Veteran Mini-racing guru John Cooper was reportedly delighted that BMW had honored him by naming the sporty version of the new car after him; unfortunately he died shortly before the car's launch. This version is a Mark Jones version of the 2001 Mini Cooper; for Phil Riehlman's version of the 1960s car see Mini Cooper.